


activating plan B: physical contact

by crystalldragon



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23529469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalldragon/pseuds/crystalldragon
Summary: Genji wants to regain his joyful and affectionate side. Zenyatta helps him. Through physical touch.
Relationships: Genji Shimada/Tekhartha Zenyatta
Comments: 8
Kudos: 112





	activating plan B: physical contact

The first thing Genji had learned about Zenyatta was that he was a welcoming presence to everyone in the monastery, at all times. It had puzzled him to the point where he'd thought of Zenyatta as some otherworldly creature, something beyond human understanding that was sent to earth to bless them. But as time went on, this figment made way for the small, but intense reason behind this phenomenon: Zenyatta loved and was loved with an unbelievable intensity. The fact that Genji watched an omnic give the most care and love ever seen in his life made it even weirder and more unusual.

He felt weak in comparison. Empty. Devoid of love, of trust, of empathy. The complete opposite of everything Zenyatta embodied.

At the monastery, he was confronted with this every day. Or more accurately, every day he spent with Zenyatta. The monk would greet his fellow monks with such warmth in his voice, while most times Genji could not utter more than a small noise or a quiet mumble that resembled a “Hey". The way they managed conversations were worlds apart. Zenyatta was an outspoken person, curious and sincere. Genji would struggle to find interest in anything, much less what the others had to say, and then he would remember how easy Zenyatta made keeping a conversation seem and feel like a complete loser. It hadn't been always like this for him. How could he sink from the cheeky young boy he was, to the bottom, where he was right now?

―

"How do you do it?" Genji asks Zenyatta after the two monks they've talked to left the room they were currently in. They had helped prepare a vegetable soup for Genji and the other humans in the village.

"Do what?" the monk asks with curiosity in his voice.

"Be like... that. I mean, how affectionate you are towards other people. I wish I could be like that too." Genji takes a spoonful of the soup and feels the warmth of it enter his body. He isn't as sensitive to the cold as a normal human being. Nonetheless he still appreciates the warmth of a freshly made meal or a thick blanket. Or the warmth of Zenyatta's nature. _If only I could be that warm_ , he thinks.

"You will learn to be like that, in time," Zenyatta replies.

Genji stops in his eating to look at him in earnest. "But I don't want it to take so long."

"Patience, Genji. Healing take its time." Zenyatta has said those words so often. Genji understands the importance of them by now and yet he can't grasp why it takes so much time for him to get better at pretty much _everything_ that doesn't involve killing.

"You would not tell a growing plant or a grub in a cocoon to hurry up with their development. Every new stage of life is preceded by a stage of slow and agonizing growth. And for you, Genji, that stage is exceptionally long, since you have been through so much."

Genji knows, he _knows_ , Zenyatta will believe in his recovery, no matter how long it takes. But even with this tremendous amount of support, it's hard to see his own progress when everything's so hard. "I just want... to feel. Anything. To get out of this emptiness. If I just could feel deeply joyous for longer than a day... Then I could show others the same warmth you do. That's all that I ask for."

"If that is what you ask for, then we will focus on just that. Starting tomorrow."

"Eh? How?" Genji stares at him in confusion.

Zenyatta, instead, nods towards his meal. "Eat up before it gets cold. You will see, everything will be alright." He places his hand near Genji's, not touching him but undoubtedly in his vision, assuring him he's not alone.

―

After Genji finished his meal, they parted ways, him going to sleep and Zenyatta going to the edge of the village to meditate. In the end, he gives up on meditating and thinks about Genji instead. How can he help him more efficiently? He obviously hasn't tried good enough. _Iris,_ he thinks, _his impatience may has rubbed off on me. Or why am I getting so frustrated about his slow progress?_

He can't remember ever being so involved in a student. Sure, he cared about his other students and fellow monks and their wellbeing deeply. But with Genji, something else in him woke up. A deep desire to see him get better, to leave this hole in which he is currently behind and embrace the beautiful man he is beneath that mask. He's already been close to losing him several times now, and he will not under any circumstances let anything like that happen to Genji again. Recovery has its ups and downs. He has learned that through students who were in similar situations. But none of them were quite like Genji. _Maybe... I should be more honest to him and myself. Maybe I have not shown him enough how much he is loved and cherished. That will be it._ He finishes his train of thought and goes to his room in the sanctum.

Zenyatta always encourages Genji, talks him through his fears and helps him find clearness. He also accompanies him to his meals; they often meditate together and help the villagers together. But through all that, the monk has been physically distant to Genji. With him learning to accept his new body and all that, he fears it would do more harm than good. Besides, he is his student and he knows he shouldn't coddle him like a baby when he's a fully grown man. He hasn't felt the need to do so before, so there wasn't any problem. Until he and Genji got to know each other better. Over time, it happened more often that Zenyatta wished nothing more than to hug Genji to hopefully make his problems disappear even if just for a moment. It wasn't anything the omnic had felt before - he used to do fine with just his teachings. The people before didn't have a new body to get used to, so Genji was new territory, sort of. And whoever it is, maybe his "brain", his "heart" or some part of his soul, it is telling him to be more affectionate to Genji. So, he'll try just that.

―

"Good morning, Genji," the omnic says as they meet the morning after that on their way to the village. The sun has already risen, and a blueish clear sky stretches out above them. "Do you mind if I hug you?" He asks.

"I, uh... no," Genji answers. He's startled at first, but once he sees Zenyatta's hesitation he nods again and moves closer to put his arms around him. It feels... nice. Which is unexpected.

He has avoided touch for so long, since the thought of anyone touching his... body, or rather Overwatch's gruesome idea of a body, made him want to throw up the remainder of his organic insides. He isn't what he used to be, _nothing_ of him is what it used to be. He didn't trust his body to do anything besides killing. Affection, let alone _love_ wasn't possible in this body. Or so he thought.

Zenyatta had changed something in him. The warmth and openness he radiated - he wanted to be like that too. If not for himself, then for his master. Not many things made him happy at first but doing or saying something that made Zenyatta proud or happy always made him happy, too.

―

They said nothing more after that and walked side by side to the village, their arms and hands brushing against each other every now and then. No one said anything about their displays of affection, but the villagers surely took notice. Amongst their people, the... bond Zenyatta and Genji shared didn't go unnoticed. Some found it cute, some even went so far as to make bets on how long it would take for them to enter a relationship.

"It would take veeery long," said Asha, one of the younger villagers. She was a specialist in gossip, though she would never spread anything that would seriously harm someone. But Genji and Zenyatta's love for each other was just _that_ obvious. To everyone. Except to themselves. "They are both oblivious. And scared. Genji's been through a lot. He needs time."

In the end, nothing changed around them except for a few more sly smiles from the community.

"I'm happy you are finally getting better," one of the elder villagers once said to Genji, while he and Zenyatta were holding hands and passing him by. Genji had said nothing, only nodding in acknowledgement, but under his mask, he was blushing.

―

As time went one, their physical affections were pretty much ingrained into their daily routine. A hug every morning, holding hands while walking to the village or to the monastery, a hand on ones back when they were not feeling well, a pad on the shoulder when they had accomplished something, their knees touching during meditation and so on.

A hand on Genji's scarred but warm cheek, after he had shown Zenyatta his face for the first time.

His forehead pressed against the omnics glowing dots, feeling each other’s warmth.

Zenyatta holding Genji after one of his nightmares and letting his orbs chime around them in a soft glow until he falls asleep again.

And one day, something they both didn't expect.

It was after their weekly sparring session. Once they'd arrived at Genji's room, he took off his mask, steam puffing out of his valves at its release. They were both worn out but happy. Sparring was not only about staying fit but also a form of entertainment for them. It was about getting to know their bodies, its limits and capabilities. Oftentimes, their sparring sessions ended with one of them pulling the other one down and them falling down into the snow, fully exhausted but still laughing.

"You okay?" Genji asks Zenyatta with a slight smile on his face. Usually, _he_ would be the one to be asked if he's okay. But now it's not just _his_ fight anymore. It's about them supporting each other. Genji already knows that Zenyatta sometimes gets into fights with his fellow monks. It's never anything big, but they had some disagreements which saddened the monk. He had trusted Genji with this because they were equals now. Zenyatta wasn't just the perfect, calm monk that helped Genji. Genji wasn't just the depressed, angry cyborg that needed help. The more Genji became emotionally stable, the more they became like close friends and less like student and master. And so, more often they would just talk about their thoughts and feeling about various topics while watching the clouds pass them by.

Zenyatta nods and for a few moments they just sit there, side by side, looking at each other.

Maybe it's the adrenaline, maybe it's the sensations of their bodies falling onto each other at the end of their sparring session, but when Zenyatta looks at Genji and says, voice full of adoration, "You are so beautiful, Genji." He couldn't help but lean onto the omnic and kiss him softly on what would be his cheek.

Upon realizing what he just did, Genji blushes and turns his head away from him to look outside. He opens his mouth to apologize but Zenyatta wouldn't let him finish, instead touching his cheeks with his metallic fingers, the cyborgs warmth sipping through his cold fingers. And now, Zenyatta, the one who otherwise has something to say about _everything_ , now feels like he's at a loss of words.

"Genji, I..." he starts, not sure what he even wants to say. He takes a deep artificial breath in. "Please... do not ever have any doubts of my feelings for you. I promise you, I adore you more than anything else in my life."

A small sound of happiness escapes Genji and he feels his eyes burning with tears. Wanting to hide this vulnerability, he buries his face in Zenyatta's neck and hugs him tightly. He feels the warmth beneath the metal plates and hears the quiet hum of machinery.

Zenyatta pats his back, quietly repeating phrases like "It's okay" and "I'm here for you". Genji maneuvers himself so his head rests in the monks’ lap and smiles up at him through his still wet eyes. Zenyatta brushes his messy hair out of his face and hums happily, continuing to stroke his head. Genji feels his eyes get heavy from exhaustion and his breath slowing down.

"Thank you... for everything," he whispers before he closes his eyes and soon enough, falling asleep. Behind them, the sun has already set, dipping the room in a faint pinkish hue. Zenyatta steals one last glance at the cyborg before going into hibernating mode himself, feeling happier than ever before.


End file.
